Children of Neil Armstrong: "I assumed that he would come back". Now

Be away from home for weeks, train for years and never knowing if you are going to survive a mission; for astronauts, the cost is daily. Family members stay at home and await the return of their father, wife or child. NU.nl spoke to Neil Armstrong's sons, Rick and Mark, about how they watch the movie about the moon mission that has written their father in the story.

"My dad was always one of the facts, it was the mission on the moon, that's what he did," Rick Armstrong said. The conversation at the table, where the family was just sitting, is an important detail of the film First Man film that the director Damien Chazelle ( of La La Land ) made about In 1969, his father and his mission on the moon died.

NU.nl speaks in Florida, NASA's field, with the two brothers and the man who plays the role of their father: the actor Ryan Gosling. The film contains many personal details about Neil Armstrong, while in his life he gave only a handful of interviews and barely talked about his private life.

Asked about their father, who had spoken only to the biographer James R. Hansen, he would discover that there is now a film about very personal aspects of his life, the brothers answer him with a smile. Their father would be fine, they think, provided the details are correct.

"He would bite the technical details," Rick said. "I watched dozens of movies with him, where he always immediately exclaimed .What's wrong?" This image does not fit this mission "," these wheels do not belong to this plane, "he called right away .. the film is no different."

His brother "Yes, but also how the roles of his family, his friends and his colleagues, what they do like the people he knew, the more he would have difficulty accepting that the film exists. "

Ed White Girl

Bonnie Lynn White is the daughter of one of these co-workers. His father, Ed White, died from the aftermath of the Apollo 1 fire, the first human mission of the program to be installed on the moon. As her parents are no longer alive, she found it all the more important that the film reflects the way she knew her parents.

"I had brought pages full of pictures and comments when I was Olivia (Hamilton, who plays the mother of White ed.) We all know what happened around the monthly landing, but we do not know what preceded it, what sacrifices people had to bring back.You have to describe it well. "

White was at the sight of the film faces the terrible details of his father's death. Ed White died in January 1967 in the command module of Apollo 1. Communication with the headquarters being bad, it was therefore not clear that a fire had broken out. Due to the oxygen released into the cabin, the fire caused an explosion and the crew was killed.

"I knew he was about to come in. I had it before with my brother (Edward Jr., ed.) About the fire and what it would look like in the movie Il m had already warned that it would be difficult, I can not stand this kind of scenes in normal movies, let alone now.I cried, but they did it nicely, from a beautiful way, and this is no different, it happened. "

Difficult and emotional moments

The death of their father in 2012 is not a part of the film, but the Armstrong brothers saw enough difficult moments in their father's life in the film. The death of their sister Karen, who died of cancer before the birth of Mark, the many losses suffered by their father in the workshop and, of course, the moment of emotion where he was first to set foot on the moon. The scene in which their father tells them about the lunar mission, they have themselves treated in the film.

Mark: "We talked to the decision makers of this conversation because next to our mother (died in June of this year, ed.) He started this conversation stating that they" trusted a good result of the mission ", that it was likely to 50% that they could land on the moon, and that even if it did not happen" They will come back. "" But there is a risk " , he added. "

Mark and Rick, aged six and twelve at the time, still remember that, surprisingly, they were not worried. made. Rick: "I just assumed that whatever happens, they would settle it again, they would come back again."

"The special thing is that we both came out of this conversation without any worries., Which was definitely terrified, could have hidden it in one way or another, which is fantastic, especially if you know the risks that followed, "says Mark.

Despite the risks that still remain

Bonnie Lynn White lost her father during a space mission. She does not hesitate a moment to ask her if she thinks that the journey into space must continue.

"I think it's important that it's worth something I think this eventual trip to the moon was worth it and if I had the choice, I would have preferred it not be my father trying. "Just go and woe is not there. If it were possible, White would like to go alone.

" Then I can see what my father saw, what I think is a very cool idea, I've never been able to talk to him about it, he'll never be able to share it, like that I would know, it would definitely be a reason for me to overcome the scared and leave. "